Category: Thematic Network
The cooperation will be organized along the following Thematic Networks,
to tackle three Cross-Cutting Challenges.
On 1 October 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America & Caribbean programme hosted its third session of the Regional Thematic Cluster series, gathering 41 participants from more than 30 regions. The meeting focused on fostering regional partnerships in areas such as clean energy, blue economy, industrial modernisation, and agri-food, and served as a stepping stone toward the development of Regional Cooperation...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America programme held its fourth thematic webinar on 30 September 2025, bringing together city representatives from Europe and Latin America to exchange best practices in sustainable urban mobility and transport. The session attracted over 20 registrants and featured presentations from Madrid (Spain), Umeå (Sweden), Fortaleza (Brazil), Concepción (Chile), and Mérida (Mexico). Building Transatlantic Partnerships for...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme concluded its Urban Innovation Deep Dive Webinar Series with a forward-looking session on start-ups, investments, and technologies. The event gathered 65 participants and highlighted six cities—Grenoble-Alpes, Warsaw, Leuven, Tallinn, Nagoya, and Kaohsiung—each presenting their unique strategies for fostering resilient and innovative urban economies. Grenoble-Alpes – Boosting Entrepreneurship Amélie Dupraz-Canard introduced the iVenture programme,...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Programme convened its deep dive session 1 on Urban Innovation, bringing together thought leaders and city representatives from Christchurch (New Zealand), Bologna (Italy), Cork (Ireland), and Jeonju (Korea) to spotlight how diverse urban ecosystems are advancing innovation for sustainable growth. Against the backdrop of IURC Phase II, the session provided...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) Asia & Australasia hosted its second Urban Innovation Deep Dive Session, focusing on Cities & Data. The event brought together experts from Barcelona, Coimbra, Osaka, Kobe, and Pimpri Chinchwad, highlighting how cities across Europe and Asia are leveraging GIS, BIM, AI, and smart city strategies to drive digital transition. Barcelona: Digital Twins and Urban Data...
On 23 September 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America and the Caribbean programme held the second session of its regional thematic clusters, focusing on Clean Energy and the Blue Economy. The meeting gathered 50 participants from Europe and Latin America, who shared regional strategies on energy transition, hydrogen, aquaculture, maritime transport, and sustainable governance frameworks. The session was opened by Silke Haarich, Region-to-Region Coordinator...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme held its second thematic session on 23 September, gathering 51 participants from 10 regions across Europe, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The focus was on regional cooperation in clean energy and the blue economy, with regions presenting concrete strategies for hydrogen ecosystems, offshore wind, geothermal, waste-heat recovery, solar innovation,...
On 23 September 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America and the Caribbean programme hosted its third webinar, this time dedicated to urban innovation. The session gathered 17 participants for technical discussions and city presentations that highlighted how digital tools, sustainability initiatives, and collaborative governance are shaping the future of urban areas. The exchange served as preparation for the upcoming Smart City...
The second and final session of the IURC Asia & Australasia Thematic Network on Strategic Sectors brought together 33 participants to explore innovative approaches in cultural heritage, mega-events, sustainable tourism, and city branding. Cities from Italy, Australia, Malaysia, and Poland shared their strategies, challenges, and opportunities, while also setting the stage for deeper collaboration at the upcoming Smart Cites Expo World Congress in...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) has successfully launched its Urban Innovation Introductory Session as part of the Thematic Network Webinar Series. The online session, held on 18 September 2025, brought together more than 60 participants from Europe and Asia & Australasia for an in-depth exchange on smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and citizen-centric governance. Viktorija Kaidalova — EU’s Service for Foreign Policy...
